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OFFICERS OF fHE SHAKESPEARE SOCIETY 



OF NEW YORK. 



APPLETON MORGAN, 
THOS. R. PRICE, - 
JAMES E. REYNOLDS, 
ALBERT R. FREY, 



President, 
ist Vice- P rest. 
Treasurer. 
Secretary. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 



Cfptp GqnjrW *> 

Shelf 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



> 






? 4 2L 



The Shakespeare Society of New York, 



INCORPORATED APRIL 20, 1885. 




olo promote fjje knofolebge anb $f«bg of l^e SSorks 

of 38lm. Shakespeare, anb of tbe £>|jakesperean 

anb ©li^abet^an ,§lrama. 



IN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, 

JUNE 15th, 1885. 



Resolved, That in order that the papers printed 
under authority of this Society maybe of the highest 
character, and of value from all standpoints, the 
Society does not stand pledged as responsible for the 
opinions expressed or conclusions arrived at in the 
sai-d papers, but considers itself only responsible in 
so far as it certifies by its Imprimatur that it con- 
siders them as original contributions to Shakes- 
perean study, and as showing upon their face care, 
labor and research. 



papers of t&e g, g. Shakespeare Sotietg. 



No. 8. 



The Construction and Types 



J&fxafejespjearje's tyzvsz 



AS SEEN IN THE 



OTHELLO 

J 

By THOMAS R. PRICE, M. A., LL. D. 

First Vice-President of the Shakespeare Society of New York. 




/c 



NEW YORK : 
Press of the New York Shakespeare Society. 






Copyright, 1888. 
By the Shakespeare Society of New York. 



Isaac Friedenuald, Printer, 
Baltimore. 



INTRODUCTION. 



On the 20th of May, 1886, I had the honor 
of reading a paper on the construction and the 
types of Shakspere's verse before the Shaks- 
pere Society of New York. In that paper I 
gave the outline and the approximate results 
that are to be found in this little book ; but in 
the book I have given to the outline a pre- 
cision, and to the results an accuracy of statis- 
tics that I could not give in the original paper. 
By confining the examination to the single 
play of Othello, which I take as a fair example 
of Shakspere's mature manner, I have sought 
to give for other work done at other times of 
the poet's life, a secure basis of study and 
comparison. The great types of verse, whose 
existence and ratios I define in the Othello, 
will be found to exist, indeed, but to exist in 



INTRODUCTION. 



varying ratios in all Shakspere's dramatic 
poems. The study of these variations, so as 
to reach the law of Shakspere's progress in 
the construction of verse, seems to me the best 
way now open to the criticism of Shakspere's 
style. 

For ease of reference, I have followed the 
text and the numbering of verses that are given 
in the Globe edition, by Clark and Wright : 
London, Macmillan & Co., 1884. 

Thos. R. Price. 

Columbia College, 

New York, 15 Jan., 1888. 



CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES OF 
SHAKSPERE'S VERSE 

AS SEEN IN THE OTHELLO. 



The famous saying of Mr. Swinburne, that 
' the essential qualities of poetry are imagina- 
tion and harmony,' is capable of being applied 
even to the poetry of Shakspere. In speak- 
ing of him, we should indeed have to add a 
few hundred other essential qualities to Mr. 
Swinburne's two ; but after all, even in Shaks- 
pere, the qualities that are most permanently 
visible are precisely his imagination and his 
harmony. Yet in the modern schools of Shaks- 
perian criticism these two essential qualities of 
his art have been studied with strangely unequal 
attention. The method and the range of his 
imagination have been treated by the greatest 
critics of modern times in the deepest and most 



CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 



fruitful way ; but the method and the range of 
his harmony have been either not treated at 
all, or else treated in ways that led to scant, or 
to false results. Students of Shakspere have 
never, indeed, ceased to feel the charm of that 
vast and infallible harmony which moves in 
the movement of his words. Great actors of 
Skakspere, from his day to ours, have never 
ceased to bring out for each generation, by 
the penetrating sympathy of their own genius, 
the rich and intricate cadences of his verses. 
But the scientific study of his system of verse- 
construction has been strangely neglected. 
Even now the student of Shakspere can find 
little in his text-books to help him toward 
understanding the principles of his art, or 
toward the right reading of a vast number of 
his most memorable verses. For this neglect 
there can be only two adequate reasons : either 
the harmonies of Shakspere are so simple as 
not to need any' scientific explanation; or else 
they are so complex as not to admit of any 
analysis or solution. No man is likely, I think, 
to allege that Shakspere's verses are so simple 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 



of construction as to make all effort at explana- 
tion needless. Nay, even to men of his own 
time, even to poets that used the same form of 
verse and spoke words with the same accents 
as the master himself, there was in Shaks- 
pere's verses an element of mysterious effect, 
of deeply calculated, inscrutable art, that filled 
them with wonder and awe. Thus Ben Jon- 
son, in his sublime poem of 1623, says of his 
'star of poets,' his 'sweet swan of Avon ': 

. . . ' the race 
Of Shakspere's mind and manner brightly shines 
In his well-turned and true-filed lines, 
In each of which he seems to shake a lance 
As brandished at the eyes of ignorance.' 

Here Jonson, in this praise of his great rival, 
praise as honest and wise as it is ardent, shows 
us two things : first that, in the opinion of the 
greatest critic of that age, of Jonson himself, 
the harmony of Shakspere, his construction of 
'well-turned and true-filed lines,' was one of 
the two paramount excellences of his art; and 
second, that this harmony was attained by 
means unknown to the vulgar poets of his 



10 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

age, by secrets that eluded, that defied and 
almost shocked the minds of the ignorant. It 
is worth while, then, to make a study of Shak- 
spere's manner of verse-construction, in order 
to see whether we can discover any of the prin- 
ciples by which he worked, or whether in truth 
the problems of his art must be left as too 
complex for analysis and explanation. 

Among the few that have treated of Shaks- 
pere's versification, Dr. Edwin Guest, who 
treats it as part of English versification and of 
rhythmical art in general, is by far the greatest. 
In him I find what seems the key to Shaks- 
pere's manner of construction ; and when I 
venture to go beyond what he has expressly 
taught, I am only developing and expanding 
what I judge to be implied in his teaching. 
The work of Dr. Guest, his History of Eng- 
lish Rhythms, was published in 1838. It was, 
however, so far in advance of the English 
scholarship of those times that it did not much 
affect the theories nor the schemes of text- 
book writers. Even now the English and 
American books that teach versification show 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 



no knowledge of Dr. Guest's system. But in 
1869, Dr. J. H. Heinrich Schmidt published 
his Leitfaden in der Rhythmik der Griechen 
tind Romer. The German scholar, absolutely- 
independent of Dr. Guest's system, ignorant, 
so far as I know, of even the existence of the 
English book, brought to recognition in the 
classical poetry the same principles that Dr. 
Guest had brought to light in the English. In 
1882, the second edition of Guest's History of 
English Rhythms, with many useful additions 
and corrections, was given to the world by Dr. 
Skeat. The book is cumbrous and unwieldy, 
badly proportioned and badly arranged; but 
the amount of useful matter and of scientific 
truth contained in the great volume makes it 
a true monument of literature. 

In the old systems of metre, such as we used 
to study in our childhood, all reduced itself to 
a scansion of separate feet. In a mechanical 
way, with dire loss of high poetic effect, this 
system served to explain to us the movement 
of Homer's hexameters and of Vergil's, of the 
dialogue of the Greek drama and of Horace's 



12 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

iambics. It failed, however, to explain to us 
the movement of the lyrical parts of the drama, 
and many of the noblest odes of Sophocles 
and the rest were for us masses of dislocated 
prose, which each editor had the right, accord- 
ing to his own discretion, to divide into 
uncouth lines. So in English poetry, that old 
scansion by feet served well enough to ex- 
plain to boys the ups and downs of purely 
mechanical verse. But it failed to explain the 
movement of the old ballad ; it failed to 
explain the stately march of Milton's blank 
verse ; most of all and worst of all, it failed to 
interpret the freedom and grace of Shakspere's 
matchless cadences. These had, indeed, a 
charm of rhythm that even our ignorance 
could not hide from us ; but, if the system of 
scansion by feet was true, then the full half, 
the better half, of Shakspere's verses were 
incorrect and lawless. The science of prosody 
had worked, then, to this strange result. The 
verses of mechanical poets would scan every 
time, foot by foot, with unfailing precision ; 
hence the school of mechanical versifiers was 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 13 

correct. But the verses of Shakspere would 
not scan ; hence the poetry of Shakspere was 
incorrect, and the great poet only 'a gifted 
barbarian.' 

Now, it was the great achievement of Dr. 
Guest to break down, so far as English verse 
is concerned, the system of scansion by feet. 
Thirty years later, as we haveseen, Dr. Schmidt, 
from the side of Greek poetry also, laid bare 
the falseness of the old scanning. Now, by 
the light cast upon English poetry from the 
perfect system of Greek verse-forms, we seem 
to be at length enabled to rise above the 
old misconceptions and to understand the 
laws by which the rhythmical genius of Shaks- 
pere expressed itself in forms of endless 
variety and of never-failing beauty. 

If the old system might be described as the 
scansion by feet, the new system may be 
described as the scansion by staves. This 
word, used by Dr. Guest, and taken by him 
from the older poetic literature, is in all ways 
a good and useful technical term. It is iden- 
tical in meaning with the rhythmical series, 



14 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

which is the technical term of the modern science 
of Greek and Roman metres. Let us see, then, 
what is the stave, or rhythmical series in Eng- 
lish poetry. 

The stave is a group of feet, from one to 
four in number, which can be pronounced 
together, without pause, upon one breath, and 
be dominated by one accent. As such it is 
the definite unity of English verse-formation. 
The English stave can, indeed, if we choose, 
be analysed into its separate feet, and broken 
up into trochees and dactyls. But this breaking 
up of the stave into separate feet is some- 
thing scholastic and artificial. The stave in 
its nature is indivisible, living and moving all 
together, the unit of verse-construction. The 
poet's mind in the act of composition works 
not upon the foot, but upon the stave. He 
builds up his verses, not by adding foot to 
foot in monotonous succession, but by joining 
stave to stave in endless variety. Thus, to 
read Shakspere's verses in the spirit with 
which he wrote them, we must give up the 
scansion by feet, which he did not regard, and 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 15 

follow the scansion by staves, which was for 
him the law of rhythmical creation. 

From the history of English poetry, which 
in this respect is unbroken from Beowulf to 
Tennyson, it is possible to find out what staves 
exist in our language, and which are best 
adapted to our English speech. 

In the first place, we have to do with staves 
of different lengths. The shortest stave may 
have only one accent, the longest may have 
four accents. Thus, according to length, there 
are four kinds of staves, staves of one accent, 
staves of two, staves of three, and staves of 
four accents, e. g. : 

' Devil,' Othello IV, i, 251 ; ' never,' IV, 2, 8, 
is a stave of one accent, a single trochee. 

'What's the matter?' IV, 1, 50, a stave of 
two accents, a trochaic dipody (^^-^). 

'How if fair and foolish?' II, 1, 136, a 
stave of three accents, a trochaic tripody 
( -i- \~>— w— ^\ 

'You have little cause to say so,' II, 1, 109, 
a stave of four accents, a trochaic tetrapody 



16 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

In the second place, according to the way of 
ending, the stave may end either with accent 
or without accent. The final trochee, or the 
final dactyl, of the stave may be either full or 
catalectic, 1 e. g. 

' What's the matter ? ' IV, i, 50, is a stave of 
two accents ending full. 

'Worse and worse,' II, 1, 135, is a stave of 
two accents ending catalectic. 

This distinction between the full stave and 
the catalectic stave becomes for Shakspere's 
art a point of the highest importance. It 
involves the distinction between the mascu- 
line and the feminine caesura, and also the 
distinction between verses of strong ending 
and verses of weak ending. Shakspere uses 
both kinds of caesura and both kinds of end- 
ing, and the alternation between the opposed 
forms is one of the chief causes of his variety. 

So far I have spoken of the staves only in 
respect of their length, as staves of one accent, 

'The term catalectic is used of rhythmical series in 
which the unaccented syllable is cut from the end of 
the final foot, so as to give an accented close. 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 17 



or of two, or of three, or of four, as full or 
catalectic. But, before we can fully understand 
the variety of English staves, we have to con- 
sider not only their length, but also their 
inward structure. This depends upon the 
nature and the grouping of the feet that make 
up each stave. The two kinds of feet that 
enter into English staves are trochees and dac- 
tyls. The trochee of English poetry consists 
of an accented syllable followed by one syllable 
out of accent, <?. g. heavy, O^). The dactyl 
of English poetry consists of an accented 
syllable followed by two syllables out of accent, 
e. g. heavily (^w). 1 n OW) a n staves that 
exist in English poetry are formed either out 
of pure trochees, or out of pure dactyls, or 
out of dactyls mingled with trochees. 

The trochaic stave begins with an accented 
syllable and puts one weak syllable after each 
strong one, e. g. ' Is not this man jealous ? ' 

III, 4, 99 (^w-v-z-w). 



1 In using these convenient terms and symbols of the 
classical prosody, the accented syllable is regarded as 
strong, the unaccented syllable as weak. There is no 
reference made to the length of syllables. 



CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 



The dactylic stave begins with an accented 
syllable and puts two weak syllables after each 
strong one, e. g. " E'en from the east to the 
west,' IV, 2, 144 (^^w_wv/_). 

The mixed, or logaoedic, stave begins with 
an accented syllable, and varies the number of 
weak syllables, according to a definite plan, 
between one and two, e. g. ' Not to outsport 
discretion,' II, 3, 3 (^-ww-w-^). 

This blending of dactyls with trochees pro- 
duces a cadence that seemed to the Greeks to 
resemble the movement of their prose. Hence 
to such mixed staves they gave the name 
logaoedic, or prose-like. 

Up to this point all the staves that have 
been shown have begun with an accented syl- 
lable. But in English poetry, from the begin- 
ning on, the habit has prevailed of setting, at 
the poet's convenience, before the first accent 
of the stave one unaccented syllable or even 
two. So Tennyson in the Two Voices : 

Again the voice spake unto me, 
' Thou art so full of misery, 
Surely 'twere better not to be.' 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 19 

Here in the same stanza, in rhyming lines of 
the closest correspondence, the third stave 
begins with an accented syllable, but the first 
and the second begin with syllables that are 
unaccented. 

This unaccented syllable that goes before 
the first accent of the stave bears the technical 
name of anacrusis. It is the preparation, the 
prelude to the stave, a mechanical means of 
giving force to the following accent. The 
presence of the anacrusis gives rise, therefore, 
to certain additional forms of the English 
stave. 

The stave that has the anacrusis before a 
trochee is called an iambic stave, e. g. 'And 
prays you to believe him,' I, 3, 42 (x | -^ ^ _ 
\j — \j\ t 

The stave that has one anacrusis or two 
before a dactyl is called anapaestic, e. g. ' O 
villany, villany,' V, 2, 193 (x | -'- ^ ^ - ^ ^). 

The stave that has the anacrusis before a 
logaoedic measure may be called loose iambic, 
e. g. 'To bear him easily hence,' V, 1, 83 
(x I ^ w - w ^ _), 



20 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

Thus we reach a grouping, of possible Eng- 
lish staves that is adequate for our purposes. 
According to length, the staves of English 
poetry are staves of i accent, or of 2, or of 3 
or 4, either catalectic or full. According to 
arrangement of accents, they are trochaic, or 
dactylic, or logaoedic, or iambic, or loose 
iambic. For convenience of classification, the 
staves of which English poetry is formed may 
be arranged into a table of 22 varieties. 

Staves of one accent : 

1. Trochaic ■ e - yJ . 

2. Dactylic ^v-*. 

3. Iambic x J J -^>. 

4. Anapaestic x | ^^^ or x x | ^^^. 
Staves of two accents : 

5. Trochaic ^^_w or ^•<->— . 

6. Dactylic ^^^-^w or ^-v/o— . 

7. Logaoedic -^^^-^ or ^w_^w # 

8. Iambic x | ^-^-^ or x | ^^-. 

9. Anapaestic x | -tv/v-*-"-* or x x | *■ 



\J \J — W \J , 



10. Loose iambic x | ^^>-^^ 4 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 21 

Staves of three accents : 

ii. Trochaic ^^-w_^ with sub-forms. 

12. Dactylic ^^^-ww_^^ " 

13. Logaoedic -e.^^—^—^ " 

14. Iambic x | *-*j-\j—^> << 

15. Anapaestic x | ^w^_^w_ww with 

sub-forms. 

16. Loose iambic x | ^^-^-^-^with sub- 

forms. 
Staves of four accents : 

17. Trochaic ^^-^-^-^ with sub-forms. 

18. Dactylic ■*■ ^ v—\j w_w w_^ ^ with sub- 

forms. 

19. Logaoedic ^^^-^-^-^> with sub- 

forms. 

20. Iambic x | ^w_w_w_^ with sub- 

forms. 

21. Anapaestic x | ^ww_w^_^w_ with 

sub-forms. 

22. Loose iambic x | ^w^_w_^_^ with 

sub-forms. 

These twenty-two staves are the material 

out of which Shakspere's verse is constructed. 

But, before we discuss his manner of using 

them, there is one other variation of stave- 



22 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

form so important as to demand careful no- 
tice. 

The full foot of English poetry is either a 
trochee or a dactyl ; it has after its accented 
syllable either one or two unaccented. The 
length of the entire foot is divided between 
the time given to the strong syllable and the 
time given to the weak syllable. Thus in the 
trochaic foot beggar, the strong syllable beg is 
rather more than twice as long as the weak 
syllable ar. But now, to gain some special 
purpose, to throw unusual force into some 
emphatic word, the weak syllable of the foot 
may be altogether suppressed, and the entire 
length of the whole foot concentrated upon 
the accented syllable. Thus in the wild cry of 
Othello, ' Oh ! oh ! oh ! ' V, 2, 282, the word 
oh is by itself, each time, a separate foot, with 
all its length and its force concentrated into 
one syllable that is almost doubly long. Such 
a foot is said to be syncopated. By syncope, 
as is clear, the twenty-two varieties of the 
English stave may be greatly modified in form 
and in effect. Shakspere, above all, was very 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 



bold in using the syncope, and the staves that 
contain syncopated feet are often conspicuous 
for their splendid energy of rhythm. 

These twenty-two staves were the material 
out of which, by selection and by combination, 
Shakspere and his fellow-poets built up their 
system of dramatic verse. The staves them- 
selves, as may be proved, were as old as the 
oldest utterance of Saxon poetry in the epos 
of heathen times. They were natural to the 
tongue and familiar to the ears of English- 
men. Holding fast to these forms of the long 
established English staves, let us now trace in 
detail how Shakspere used them as the units 
of his art to build up all the varieties of his 
infinitely modulated verse. 

The verses of Shakspere, as seen in his 
dramas, fall into three kinds. They are : i. 
his imperfect verses; 2. his broken verses; 
3. his perfect verses. 

The imperfect verses of Shakspere are 
characteristic of his art. They occur, I think, 
in all his dramas, but they occur oftenest in 
his mature work, where his art was at its 



24 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

boldest and its best. So far from being- signs 
of careless workmanship, they come in pas- 
sages of the most elaborate construction, in 
the full career of his grandest poetry. Notice, 
for example, the words by which Iago drives 
his lord to madness, III, 3, 413-18 : 

I will go on. I lay with Cassio lately, 
And, being troubled with a raging tooth, 
I could not sleep. 

There are a kind of men so loose of soul 
That in their sleeps will mutter their affairs. 
One of this kind is Cassio. 

Notice again the words of Othello, as, con- 
vinced at last of his wife's innocence, he takes 
his final look at her dead face, V, 2, 274-8 : 

This look of thine will hurl my soul from heaven, 

And fiends will snatch at it. Cold, cold, my girl ! 

Even like thy chastity. O cursed slave ! 

Whip me, ye devils, 

From the possession of this heavenly sight ! 

Such, then, are the imperfect verses of 
Shakspere, often the most sonorous and 
splendid of his rhythmical effects. In studying 
them the value of Dr. Guest's system of staves 
comes into the clearest evidence. For these 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 



25 



imperfect verses of Shakspere are nothing but 
the simple staves of the English language used 
in one or other of their twenty-two primitive 
forms. Each one of Shakspere's imperfect 
verses is in reality a simple stave seized by 
the genius of the poet and cast forth by him 
to live as a separate verse. In the Othello I 
find 263 imperfect verses out of the entire 
number of 2837 verses, or about one in eleven. 
They reduce themselves, including syncopated 
staves, to 31 varieties of construction. 
I. Imperfect verses of trochaic type: 

1. Monopody, occurring four times, e. g. 

'Devil!' IV, 1, 251. 

2. Dipody, occurring seven times, e. g. 

' What's the matter?' IV, 1, 50. 

3. Dipody catalectic, occurring six times, 

' Dp thy worst,' V, 2, 159. 

4. Tripody, occurring eight times, e. g. 

' Let her have your voices,' I, 3, 261. 

5. Tripody catalectic, occurring once, 

' Are you sure of that ? ' IV, 1, 238. 

6. Tetrapody, occurring twice, e. g. 

' You have little cause to say so,' II, 1, 
iog. 



26 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

7. Tetrapody catalectic, occurring once, 

' Will you come to bed, my lord ? ' V, 
2,24. 

II. Imperfect verses of dactylic type : 

8. Dipody catalectic, occurring sixteen times, 

' Show me thy thought,' III, 3, 116. 

III. Imperfect verses of iambic type: 

9. Monopody, occurring eleven times, e. g. 

'Abhor me,' I, 1,6. 

10. Monopody catalectic, occurring four- 
teen times, e. g. 

'Indeed!' Ill, 3, 101. 

11. Dipody, occurring twenty-one times, 
' And in conclusion,' I, 1, 15. 

12. Dipody catalectic, occurring thirty-four 
times, e. g. 

' And what was he ? ' I, 1, 18. 

13. Tripody, occurring thirty times, e.g. 

'And prays you to believe him,' I, 3, 42. 

14. Tripody catalectic, occurring forty-one 
times, e. g. 

' As if the case were his,' III, 3, 4. 

15. Tetrapody, occurring once, 

'A Florentine more kind and honest,' 
III, 1, 43. 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 37 

1 6. Tetrapody catalectic, occurring twenty- 
one times, e. g. 

' How now ! what do you here alone ? ' 
III, 3, 300. 

IV. Imperfect verses of logaoedic type : 

17. Dipody, occurring five times, e. g. 
' Say it, Othello,' I, 3, 127. 

18. Tripody, occurring five times, e. g. 

' One of this kind is Cassio,' III, 3, 418. 

19. Tripody catalectic, occurring eleven 
times, e. g. 

' What is the matter there ? ' I, 1, 83. 

20. Tetrapody catalectic, occurring once, 

'Nobody: I myself: farewell,' V, 2, 
124. 

V. Imperfect verses of anapaestic type: 

2 1 . Tripody catalectic, occurring three times, 

' I might do't as well i' the dark,' IV, 
3, 67. 

22. Tetrapody catalectic, occurring seven 
times, but only in song, IV, 3, 43 seq. 

23. Dipody, occurring once, 

' O villany, villany ! ' V, 2, 193. 

VI. Imperfect verses of loose iambic type : 



28 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

24. Dipody, occurring once, in song, IV, 

3» 42. 

25. Tripody, occurring once, 

' Is spied in populous cities,' I, 1, 77. 

26. Tripody catalectic, occurring once, in 
song, II, 3, 75. 

VII. Imperfect verses of syncopated type: 

27. Syncope in first foot of dipody, occur- 
ring once, viz. 

' Down, strumpet ! ' V, 2, 79. 

28. Syncope in first foot of catalectic dipody, 
occurring five times, e. g. 

'Thieves! thieves!' I, 1, 81. 

29. Syncope in first and second foot of 
tripody, occurring twice, e.g. 

' O blood, blood, blood ! ' III, 3, 451. 

30. Syncope in first foot of tetrapody, occur- 
ring once, 

' News, lads ! our wars are done," II, 1, 
20. 

31. Syncope in third foot of tetrapody, a 
" halting rhythm," occurring once in song, 
II, 3, 99- 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 29 



The broken verses of Shakspere form a 
class that has been the despair of editors. 
They have a strongly marked character, de- 
fying- utterly the rules of scansion by feet, and 
seeming- at first sight irregular and lawless. 
For the most part such broken verses are 
divided between two persons of the dialogue : 
the first half belongs to one speaker, the 
second half to another, e. g. 

(Desdemona speaks.) Who's there ? Othello ? 

(Othello replies.) Ay, Desdemona. V, 2, 23. 

a broken verse of four accents. 

Gratiano. What is the matter ?— Othello. Behold, I 
have a weapon. V, 2, 259. 

a broken verse of five accents. 

Montano. For 'tis a damned slave.— Othello. I am not 
valiant neither. V, 2, 243. 

a broken verse of six accents. 

Othello. She was false as water.— Emilia. Thou art 
rash as fire to say. V, 2, 134. 

a broken verse of seven accents. 

In other cases the broken verse is not 
broken by the change of the person speaking, 
but by the change of the person addressed. 



30 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

The speaker directs the first part of the verse 
to one character, the second part to another, 
e.g. 

O, that's an honest fellow. — Do not doubt Cassio. 

Ill, 3, 4- 

where Othello speaks first to Emilia, and 

then by abrupt change to Cassio. 

Still in other cases the broken verse is not 
broken by the change either of the speaker 
or of the person addressed. It is broken by 
some violent change of emotion ; the first 
part is spoken in one mood, the second part 
in another. 

Broken verses of the three kinds make up 
together a large element in Shakspere's dram- 
atic poetry. In the Othello I count 252 broken 
verses, or about nine per cent of the entire 
number. And in making this count I have 
left out all forms of broken verses that are 
identical in construction with forms of perfect 
verses, to be considered hereafter. If we 
examine these 252 broken verses, we shall 
find them all to be incapable of scansion by 
feet. But here again, if we try the system of 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 31 

scansion by staves, all becomes at once regu- 
lar. Each broken verse is found to consist of 
either two or three perfect staves ; and all the 
apparent lawlessness disappears when each 
part of the verse is uttered as an independent 
stave. Just as the imperfect verses of Shaks- 
pere are one or other of the 22 stave-forms 
taken separately, so the broken verses are two 
or three of these same staves, each complete 
in itself, simply added together. 

The varieties of staves that are used in 
forming the broken verses are generally the 
same as in the imperfect verses. The trochaic, 
the iambic, and the logaoedic staves are exactly 
the same, without new forms ; cf. pp. 25 and 
26. The dactylic staves, however, are more 
freely admitted. So the dactylic dipody is 
used in the first part of the difficult verse : 

' Players in your housewifery, and house- 
wives in your beds,' II, 1, 113, 
and the dactylic tripody is used in the second 
part of 

' O monstrous act ! — Villany, villany, vil- 
lany ! ' 



32 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

The anapaestic dipody catalectic is found in 
the broken verse with its anacrusis of two 
syllables. So in the first part of 

' Not a jot, not a jot. — F faith, I fear it 
has,' III, 3, 215. 
This use of the double anacrusis we shall find 
later on among the perfect verses. 

The number of forms that belong to the 
loose iambic class, cf. p. 28, is much larger 
among the broken than among the imperfect 
verses. 

Dipody with dactyl in second place, e. g. 
'For nought but provender — and when 
he's old cashiered,' I, 1, 48. 
Tripody with dactyl in first place, e. g. 

' Indeed, they are disproportioned,' I, 3, 2. 
Tripody with dactyl in second place, e. g. 
'What's the matter, lieutenant?' II, 3, 
150. 
Tripody with dactyl in third place, e. g. 

'And sing it like poor Barbara,' IV, 3, 33. 
The syncopated staves occur in many varie- 
ties among the broken verses. 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 33 

The dipody, syncopated in first foot, occurs 
in the second half of IV, 2, 90 : 

'that married with Othello — You, mis- 
tress '; 
and with anacrusis in the second half of V, 
1, 100: 

'I'll fetch the general's surgeon — For 
you, mistress.' 

The tripody, syncopated in first foot, occurs 
in first half of I, 1, 119 : 

' This thou shalt answer — I know thee 
Roderigo.' 

The tripody, syncopated in second foot, 
occurs in the second half of V, 1, 105 : 

' Stay you, good gentlemen. — Look you 
pale, mistress ?' 

The tripody catalectic, syncopated in first 
foot, occurs in first part of II, 1, 25 : 

' How ! js this true ? — The ship is here 
put in '; 
cf. I, 3, 400, II, 3, 158, II, 3, 168, III, 3, 176, 
HI, 3» 393- 



34 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

The tetrapody, syncopated in the first foot, 
occurs in second half of IV, i, 61 : 

' Dost thou mock me ? — I mock you ! no, 
by heaven.' 

The tetrapody catalectic, syncopated in the 
first foot, occurs in second half of I, 2, 53 : 

' Marry to — Come, captain, will you go ? ' 
cf. Ill, 4, 44. 

In conclusion, if we add to the 31 stave- 
forms that occur in the imperfect verses the 13 
stave-forms that occur only in the broken 
verses, we may assert 44 distinct stave- forms 
to exist in the Othello, as. the elements of 
Shakspere's verse. 

We pass now to the third kind of verse used 
by Shakspere, the perfect verse. It has the 
regular five accents of the pentapody, and 
forms of course the great body of the rhyth- 
mical drama. Let us take as example: 

'If thou dost slander her and torture me, 
Never pray mcire ; abandon all remorse : 
On horror's head horrors accumulate.' 

Ill, 3, 36S-70. 

All these verses are perfect verses, yet each is 



OF SHAKSPERES VERSE. 35 

different from the others, and the great move- 
ment goes on with an infinite variety of shifted 
cadences. 

V. 36S has its caesura after her : it breaks 
into two parts, of six and four syllables 
respectively. 

V. 369 has its caesura after more : it breaks 
into two parts, of four and six syllables respect- 
ively. 

V. 370 has its caesura after head: it breaks 
again into two parts, of four and six syllables 
respectively. But here the variety of move- 
ment is won by letting the accented syllable 
head come next to the accented syllable of 
horrors, that is, by admitting the syncopated 
foot. 

Each verse is thus seen to be cloven in 
twain by the pause that we call caesura ; each 
verse consists of two parts divided by caesura. 
Each of these parts may now be separately 
examined. 

' If thou dost slander her' is an iambic stave 
of three accents. 

'and torture me' is an iambic stave of two 
accents. 



CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 



' Never pray more ' is a dactylic stave of two 
accents. 

' abandon all remorse ' is an iambic stave of 
three accents. 

* On horror's head ' is an iambic stave of two 
accents. 

' horrors accumulate ' is a logaoedic stave of 
three accents. 

The analysis of these three verses leads us 
to seize the law of Shakspere's verse-construc- 
tion. The perfect verse of Shakspere is 
formed in every case by so jointing two sepa- 
rate staves to each other as to produce a full 
verse of five accents. In the broken verse 
the second stave is simply added to the first 
without any reciprocal adaptation. But in the 
perfect verse the beginning of the second 
stave is fitted on to the end of the first : the 
caesural pause is so managed as to let the voice 
glide from the one stave into the other. And, 
while the sum of the two staves may in the 
broken verse be four accents, or five, or six, 
or even seven, the sum of the two staves in 
the perfect verse is always five accents, a pen- 
tapody. 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 37 



From the point now reached we can form 
an adequate conception both of the perfect 
regularity of Shakspere's art and of its vast 
possibilities of variation. To make his perfect 
verse one stave must be joined on to another 
so as to give the sum of five accents. Now of 
stave-forms there were, cf. pp. 20-21, twenty- 
two distinct types ; and each of these twenty- 
two forms might occur either full or catalectic, 
and each might be varied by the use of synco- 
pated feet. It needs but a grammarian's 
knowledge of arithmetic to show us that, by 
combining the staves, Shakspere had at his 
command many thousands, a practical infinity, 
of distinct verse-forms. Thus, in his art, the 
stave was the unit of all his combinations. 
Each stave, taken by itself, could form one of 
his imperfect verses. Two staves added 
together made one of his broken verses, a 
compound verse of four or five or six or 
seven accents. Finally, two staves so dove- 
tailed by caesura as to give an artistic unity of 
five accents made his perfect verse, the infi- 
nitely varied pentapody. 



CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 



Among all these thousands of possible forms, 
the genius of the poet guided him to pick and 
select according to some mysterious sense of 
harmony. Some combinations were ugly 
and he did not use them at all. Others had 
capacity for a certain effect, and he used them 
when that effect was needed. Others still 
were easy and beautiful, and he used them 
over and over again with loving preference. 
To each phase of emotion certain forms of 
verse had in his mind a special adaptation. 
To each prominent character he gave as part 
of the individuality a certain predominant 
form of versification. Thus the verse-forms 
used by Othello are different from Iago's, and 
Desdemona's are again different from both the 
others'. 1 Our minds are hardly able to grasp 

1 It may be of interest to see in detail the character- 
istics of the verse-forms used by Desdemona, by Othello, 
and by Iago, and to note their differences. The b ;sis 
of comparison is the number of perfect verses spoken 
by each in third and fourth acts, all imperfect and broken 
verses being omitted. 

i. Let all verses be considered normal that contain 
only trochaic feet, and all abnormal that contain either 
dactylic or syncopated feet. 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 39 



the immensity of the great poet's rhyth- 
mical resources. But in the poet himself, 

Desdemona has 83 per cent of normal verses to 17 
per cent of abnormal. 

Othello his 59 per cent of normal verses to 41 per 
cent of abnormal. 

Iago has 59 per cent of normal verses to 41 per cent 
of abnormal. 

2. Let the verse of feminine ending be considered 
a full verse, and the verse of masculine ending a cata- 
lectic verse. 

Desdemona has 77 per cent of catalectic verses to 23 
per cent full. 

Othello has 72 per cent of catalectic verses to 28 per 
cent full 

Iago has 64 per cent of catalectic verses to 36 per 
cent full. 

3. Let the comparison be made in respect of the use 
made by each of masculine and feminine caesuras. 

Desdemona has 65 per cent of masculine caesuras to 
35 per cent of feminine. 

Othello has 63 per cent of masculine caesuras to 37 
per cent of feminine. 

Iago has 52 per cent of masculine caesuras to 48 per 
cent of feminine. 

4. Let the comparison be made in respect of the 
admission of dactylic feet. 

Desdemona has 20 dactylic feet in 100 verses. 
Othello " 42 " " 

Iago " 51 

5 Let the comparison be made in respect of the 
admission of syncopated feet. 



40 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

as he ripened in age and in art, the habits 
and preferences of his versification changed. 

Desdemona has 3 syncopated feet in 100 verses. 

Othello " ir " 

Iago " to " " 

6. Finally, let the comparison be made in respect of 
the predominating types of verse-form used by each. 

Desdemona has 34 per cent with masculine caesura 
after 3d accent ; 27 per cent with masculine caesura 
after 2d accent ; 19 per cent with feminine caesura 
after 2d trochee ; 9 per cent with feminine caesura 
after 3d trochee. 

Othello has 25 per cent with masculine caesura after 
2d accent ; 24 per cent with masculine caesura after 
3d accent; 16 per cent with feminine caesura after 2d 
trochee ; 16 per cent with feminine caesura after 3d 
trochee. 

Iago has 27 per cent of masculine caesuras after 2d 
accent ; 27 per cent of feminine caesuras after 2d 
trochee; 16 per cent of feminine caesuras after 3d 
trochee ; 13 per cent of masculine caesuras after 3d 
accent. 

The facts thus tabulated show, I think, a steady 
correspondence and harmony between the character of 
the person that speaks and the verse-forms that are 
used. In Shakspere's art each verse-form has by its 
predominance an ethical import. Thus, for example, 
the verse-forms of Desdemona are dainty, regular and 
equable. Of her verses 83 per cent are normal, only 
17 abnormal. The even flow of her verses is disturbed 
by only 20 dactyls in ioo lines, and by only 3 syncopes. 
The endings of her verses are regular, or catalectic, 77 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 41 

The range of his combinations became vaster; 
the boldness of his touch, the variety of his 

times in the ioo, and full only 23 times. So too she 
has a marked preference for the masculine caesura over 
the feminine, giving 65 per cent of the one to 35 of 
the other. In all these points the lovely verse-form of 
Desdemona is distinguished by regularity, smoothness, 
and the lack of all disturbing eccentricities: it is the 
speech and manner of the high-bred, delicate lady. 

As against this, the verse-forms of Othello and Iago 
are marked by greater freedom and audacity of move- 
ment. Thus, while Desdemona had 83 normal verses 
to 17 abnormal, Othello and Iago have only 59 normal 
verses to 41 abnormal. While Desdemona had only 
23 per cent of full verses, Othello had 28 per cent, and 
Iago had 36 per cent. And again, while Desdemona 
had only 20 dactylic feet in 100 lines, Othello had 42 
and Iago 51. So' too, while Desdemona used only 3 
syncopated feet in 100 lines, Iago uses 10 and Othello 
11. In all these things the verse-forms of Othello and 
Iago show, as compared with Desdemona's, a bolder 
license, a far greater sweep and rush of rhythmical 
forms. 

But the verse-forms of Othello and Iago, if compared 
with each other, show again certain characteristic 
differences Thus, while Othello has only 28 full 
endings in 100 lines, Iago has 36. While Othello uses 
42 dactyls in 100 lines, Iago uses 51. Above all, while 
Othello keeps a large predominance of masculine 
caesuras, 63 to 37, Iago has an almost exact equality 
between them, 52 to 48. In all these things it may be 
said that the verse-forms of Iago, as compared with 



42 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

effects became greater. In Shakspere's verse, 
as in Burke's prose and in Turner's painting, 
the progress of art-growth was always toward 
freedom and audacity. 

From the demonstration given above it 
would seem to follow that the right way of 
studying the verse of Shakspere is to study 
the arrangement and combination of the staves. 
The true metrical tests are to be found by 
comparing the use made by him, in his different 
styles and at his different times, of the simple 
staves out of which his verses are constructed. 
Were each play to be studied in this fashion, 
and the results tabulated, we should be able to 
follow the growth of his rhythmical art, and 
to construct the criteria for the age and the 
authorship of the plays. We could thus gain 
an exact knowledge of the types of verse used 
in each play, and could show for each play 
how many types occur, and how often each 

Othello's, are rougher and harsher, not bolder indeed 
nor freer, but less sonorous and less beautiful. It is 
strange to see that the verse-form most largely used by 
Desdemona, the type with masculine caesura after 
third accent, is the one most rarely used by Iago. 



OF SNA KSPE RE'S VERSE. 43 

type is used. Meanwhile it is possible, by the 
study of the Othello alone, a play of the poet's 
mature manner, to fix the leading types of 
Shakspere's verse, and to afford a basis of 
comparison for other plays. 

In fixing the types of Shaksperian verse the 
chief points to be observed are these five: i. 
The nature of the caesura, whether masculine 
or feminine; 2. The place of the caesura; 3. 
The nature of the ending, whether full (femi- 
nine) or catalectic (masculine) ; 4. The admis- 
sion of the dactylic foot ; 5. The admission of 
the syncopated foot. 

The nature of caesura, whether masculine 
or feminine, has a very strong effect upon the 
movement and character of the verse. In 
the Othello the masculine predominates over 
the feminine in the general proportion of six 
to four. The exact numbers are given in the 
following table, in which count has been made 
of the 1634 normal verses that the play con- 
tains. 

The 1st act contains 214 masculine caesuras 
and 171 feminine; 2d act, 163 masculine 



U CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

caesuras and 113 feminine ; 3d act, 249 mascu- 
line caesuras and 173 feminine; 4th act, 168 
masculine caesuras and 89 feminine ; 5th act, 
184 masculine caesuras and no feminine. 

The proportion is not absolutely uniform. 
Among the normal verses of the entire poem 
60 per cent have masculine caesura ; but in 
the 1st act the proportion is 56 to 44, in the 
2d act 59 to 41, in the 3d act 59 to 41, in the 
4th act 65 to 35, and in the 5th act 63 to 37. 
The variation is not very large, and it stands 
connected in some mysterious way with the 
character of the speaking persons. In Iago's 
speech, as we have seen, the feminine caesura 
predominates over the masculine. 

Again, the place of the caesura, whether 
near the middle of the verse, or near the 
beginning or the end, has a very strong effect 
upon the movement of the rhythm. Placed 
near the middle, it gives to the verse a regular 
and even movement ; placed near the begin- 
ning or near the end, it gives a movement that 
is irregular and violent. Among the normal 
verses of the Othello, 1634 in number, the 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 45 

eight forms of possible caesura occur in the 
following proportion in the five acts : 

Masculine caesura after first accent, 6 -j- 3 
+ 9 + 5 + 1 = 24 in 5 acts. 

Feminine caesura after 1st trochee, 19+9 
+ 10 -j- 12+ 12 = 62 in 5 acts. 

Masculine caesura after 2d accent, 113 + 85 
+ 1 17 + 80 + 98 = 493 in 5 acts. 

Feminine caesura after 2d trochee, 88 -f- 63 
+ 104 + 35 + 66 = 356 in 5 acts. 

Masculine caesura after 3d accent, 87 + 70 
-J- 1 19 + 80 -f- 81 = 437 in 5 acts. 

Feminine caesura after 3d trochee, 64 -\- 41 
+ 59 + 4 2 + 32 = 238 in 5 acts. 

Masculine caesura after 4th accent, 8 + 5 
+ 4 + 3+4 = 24 in 5 acts. 

Feminine caesura after 4th trochee, o. 

The distribution is, throughout the five acts, 
about the same ; the workmanship of Shak- 
spere is equable and uniform. The caesuras 
cluster thick about the middle of the verse, and 
are rare near beginning and near end. In 
other words, the staves that are best liked are 
dipodies and tripodies. 



46 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

In the next place, the ending of the verse, 
whether full or catalectic, that is, whether weak 
or strong, is another important criterion in 
fixing the types of Shaksperian verse. The 
verse that ends with a full trochee ends with a 
falling cadence ; the verse that ends with a 
catalectic trochee ends with a rising cadence. 
Each has its peculiar and calculable effect, e. g. 

' I see, sir, you are eaten up with passion : 
I do repent me that I put it to you.' Ill, 3, 391-2. 

a couplet in which both verses are full, with 
weak ending ; and 

' O monstrous world ! take note, take note, O world ! 
To be direct and honest is not safe.' Ill, 3, 377-8. 

a couplet in which both verses are catalectic, 
with strong ending. 

To this point, however, great attention has 
been given by one school of Shaksperian 
scholars, and little remains to do. In the 
Othello, taken altogether, the proportion of 
full verses to catalectic is 27 to 73. The dis- 
tribution of the full verses is right equable, 
30 per cent in the 1st act, 24 per cent in 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 47 

the 2d, 28 per cent in the 3d, 28 per cent in 
the 4th, and 24 per cent in the 5th. In dealing 
with these full verses one habit of Shakspere 
is worth noting. The peculiar swing of their 
movement is best felt when they are massed 
together in rhythmical groups. Thus a great 
proportion of his full verses is found in 
sequences of two, three, four, five, or even six 
verses, e. g. I, 3, 111-116: 

Senator. 

Did you by indirect and forced courses 
Subdue and poison thjs young maid's affections? 
Or came it by request and such fair question 
As soul to soul aftordeth ? 

Othello. I do beseech you, 

Send for the lady to the Sa.gitta.ry, 
And let her speak of me before her father. 

The fourth point to watch, in fixing the type 
of Shakspere's verses, is the admission of the 
dactyl. The absence of dactyls, as we saw in 
Desdemona's speech, is the mark of regular 
and equable movement ; the frequency of 
dactyls is the measure of excitement and dis- 
turbance. Thus, among the broken verses, 
dactylic feet are far more numerous than 



48 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

among the perfect verses. Of 252 broken 
verses, 108 have dactyls in one or more feet, 
about 42 per cent. The distribution of dactylic 
verses among the successive acts is tolerably 
uniform : 15 per cent in the 1st act, 20 per 
cent in the 2d, 23 per cent in the 3d, 17 per 
cent in the 4th, and 19 per cent in the 5th. 
But the proportion varies both according to 
the nature of the scene and according to the 
character of the person speaking. The speech 
of Iago, for example, is marked by a strong 
predominance of dactyls, that of Desdemona 
by rarity of dactyls. Here too, as in the 
case of the full endings, the poet loves to 
bring out the force of the dactylic feet by 
massing them into groups of successive verses, 
e.g. I, 1, 149-155. The favorite place for the 
dactyl is the 1st foot of the first stave, where it 
occurs 251 times; in the 2d foot it occurs 76 
times, in the 3d foot 52 times, in the 4th foot 
41 times, in the 5th foot only twice.' In addi- 
tion there are 42 verses that have two dactyls 
each, and one verse that has three dactyls. 

1 In this count the broken verses are not included, 
on^y the perfect verses. 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 49 

The last point to be noted, in fixing the 
types of Shakspere's verses, is the admission 
of syncopated feet. Among the 252 broken 
verses I find 13 cases of syncope. Among the 
perfect verses I find 78 cases of syncope : 14 in 
the 1st act, 10 in the 2d, 20 in the 3d, 13 in the 
4th, and 21 in the 5th. The percentage is too 
small to make any calculation valuable. In 
respect of the place preferred, the syncope 
differs strangely from the dactyl. Dactyls are 
greatly more numerous at the beginning 
of the pentapody, and diminish in number by 
regular gradation to the end. Syncopes are 
greatly more numerous at the middle of the 
verse, and are equally rare at the beginning 
and the end. Among the perfect verses of 
the five acts, the 3d foot of the pentapody is 
syncopated 39 times ; the 2d, 25 times ; the 
1st, 7 times ; the 4th, 7 times. 

It remains then, in order to bring this essay 
to its end, to give a classified list of those types 
of perfect verse that exist in the Othello. It 
will be convenient to give first the normal 
types, which contain neither dactylic nor 



50 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

syncopated feet, and then the abnormal types, 
which contain either the one or the other or 
both. 

A. Normal types of verse. 

I. Full verse, with masculine caesura after 
first accent ; e. g. 

' Her will, || recoiling to her better judgment,' 
or x | -^||w ^w_w_w_w # III, 3, 236. 

II. Catalectic verse with masculine caesura 
after first accent, e. g. 

Exist, || and be a member of his love 
Whom I, || with all the office of my heart, 
or, x I ^||w ^_w_^_ 111,4, HI-12. 

Of types I and II, taken together, with 
masculine caesura after first accent, I find 28 
examples in the play : 6 in the 1st act, 3 in the 
2d, 9 in the 3d, 5 in the 4th, and 5 in the 5th. 
The type is rare. 

III. Full verse with masculine caesura after 
fourth accent, e. g. 

I had rather to adopt a child || than get it. 

I, 3» J 9i- 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 51 

(I had =. I'd as one syllable in anacrusis), 
or x | -^v->— <~>-w_||n^ - e -^->. 

IV. Catalectic verse with masculine caesura 
after fourth accent, e. g. 

Nor scar that whiter skin of hers || than snow, 
or x | ^w-w_^/_j|w -c. V, 2, 4. 

Of types III and IV, taken together, with 
masculine caesura after fourth accent, I find 
24 examples in the play: 8 in the ist act, 5 in 
the 2d, 4 in the 3d, 3 in the 4th, and 4 in the 
5th. The type is rare. 

V. Full verse with masculine caesura after 
second accent, <?. g. 

I'll watch him tame || and talk him out of 
patience. Ill, 3, 23. 

or x J 



-£. \J \\\J JL\J — \J — \J 



VI. Catalectic verse with masculine caesura 
after second accent, e. g. 

And, on the proof, || there is no more but this : 

Away at once || with love or jealousy ! 

or x I -tv»_||w •*.«-.«— Ill, 3, 191-2. 



52 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

Of types V and VI, taken together, with 
masculine caesura after second accent, I find 
495 examples in the play: 114 in the 1st act, 
85 in the 2d, 119 in the 3d, 80 in the 4th, and 
97 in the 5th. The type is much beloved by 
Shakspere, and its peculiar equable movement 
is felt in passages where the form is maintained 
throughout many consecutive verses, e. g. IV, 
3, 97-102, with exception of 98. 

VII. Full verse with masculine caesura after 
third accent, e. g. 

Whatever shall become || of Michael Cassio, 
He's never any thing || but your true servant, 
or x I -^-w_||^v/_^ # 111,3,8-9. 

VIII. Catalectic verse with masculine caes- 
ura after third accent, e. g. 

Why, then, to-morrow night || or Tuesday 

morn : 
On Tuesday noon or night: || on Wednesday 

morn : 
I prithee, name the time, || but let it not . . . 
or x I ^.v/-v-j|v/^.w-. HI, 3, 60-62. 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 53 

Of types VII and VIII, taken together, with 
masculine caesura after third accent, I find in 
the play 438 examples : 87 in the 1st act, 70 
in the 2d, 119 in the 3d, 80 in the 4th, and 
82 in the 5th. This again, then, is a form 
much beloved by Shakspere ; and he likes to 
bring out its peculiar movement by long series 
of consecutive verses, e. g. Othello's speech, II, 
3, 207-212. 

IX. Full verse with feminine caesura after 
first trochee, e. g. 

I see, sir, || you are eaten up with passion, 
or x I ^w||^^_^_w_w. Ill, 3, 391. 

X. Catalectic verse with feminine caesura 
after first trochee, e. g. 

Come, mistress, || you must tell's another tale, 

Emilia, || run you to the citadel. 

or x I -e.^||Ax/_v/_w_. V, 1, 125-6. 

Of types IX and X, taken together, with 
feminine caesura after first trochee, I find in 
the play 62 examples : 19 in the 1st act, 9 in 
the 2d, 10 in 3d, 12 in 4th, and 12 in 5th. The 
type is rare. 



54 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

XL Full verse with feminine caesura after 
second trochee, e. g. 

You, Roderigo ! || come, sir, I am for you. 
Keep up your bright swords ; for the dew will 
rust them. I, 2, 58-9. 

or x I -*■ *-'—'-' || -*■ ^->—^->-^->. 

XII. Catalectic verse with feminine caesura 
after second trochee, e. g. 

We lacked your counsel || and your help to- 
night. I, 3, 51. 
or x I 



■£-\J — \J\\ -£. W_W — 



Of types XI and XII, taken together, with 
feminine caesura after second trochee, I find 
in the play 358 examples : 89 in the 1st act, 
63 in the 2d, 104 in the 3d, 36 in the 4th, and 
66 in the 5th. For the sustained effect of this 
caesura see Emilia's speech, III, 3, 292-7. 

XIII. Full verse with feminine caesura after 
third trochee, e. g. 

Preferment goes by letter || and affection 
And not by old gradation, || where each second. 
or x J -tw-v-'-^ll^^/-^. I ; j ( 36-7. 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 65 

XIV. Catalectic verse with feminine caesura 
after third trochee, e. g. 

I prattle out of fashion, || and I dote, 
or x | ^.v/_v/_v/||^.^_. II, I, 208. 

Of types XIII and XIV, taken together, 
with feminine caesura after third trochee, I 
find in the play 238 examples : 64 in the 1st 
act, 41 in the 2d, 59 in the 3d, 42 in the 4th, 
and 32 in the 5th. Shakspere likes, it may 
be said, to combine this form of caesura with 
the full ending of the verse, e. g. Cassio's 
speech, II, 1, 97, 98, 99. 

XV. Trochaic type, five trochees without 
anacrusis, e. g. 

Full: 

O most lame || and impotent conclusion ! 
or ^w_||^ ^^--w_w # II, 1, 161. 

Do you triumph, Roman? || Do you triumph ? 
or *-\j—\j— '-'Jl dj—sj, IV, 1, 121. 

Catalectic : 

Nor I neither H by this heavenly light. 

IV, 3, 66. 



56 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

Ay, with Cassio. || Nay, had she been true. 
or ^w_w|]^^/_w_ V, 2, 143. 

The existence of this trochaic type has been 
by some critics and grammarians denied. 
Thus, for example, even in the Globe edition, 
II, 1, 161, in spite of its markedly rhyth- 
mical character, is printed as prose. But 
this verse-form, which makes a necessary link 
in the development of English poetry, is in 
itself altogether regular and agreeable ; it was 
beloved by Chaucer ; it was used by Marlowe ; 
and thus it came of due right into the system 
of Shakspere, e. g. 

Conquer, sack || and utterly consume. 
Marlowe. Tamburlaine, Second Part, IV, 2. 

Tear for tear, || and loving kiss for kiss. 

Tit. Andr. V, 3, 156. 

Such verses as these are too splendid in 
rhythm to be given up in favor of any narrow 
theory of iambic versification ; and they teach 
us, what so many other facts confirm, that the 
presence or absence of the anacrusis is a 
matter of indifference. 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 57 

XVI. Verses of double anacrusis. Here the 
first trochee is preceded by two unaccented 
syllables, which can be pronounced together 
with great rapidity and ease, e. g. 

Either in discourse of thought || or actual deed. 
xx | aw»-v^_J|^ as/- IV, 2, 153. 

Cf. I, 3, 277, and whether in I, i, 39, he has, I, 
3, 394, etc., etc. 

B. Abnormal types of verse. 

XVII. Verses syncopated in the first foot. 
Full verse : 

Here's one comes in his shirt, || with light and 
weapons. V, 1, 47. 

X I lZ._vy>v_/_||v_;-£-v_/_\_> # 

Catalectic verses : 

With one || of an ingraft infirmity, 
x I ^||-^.^_w_. II, 3) I45 . 

To beguile many || and be beguiled by one. 

XX j l£.-t^|Jv»^.V/_V/_ IV, I, 98. 

As seen in this example, verses that are 
syncopated in the first foot are apt to begin 
with double anacrusis. 



CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 



Of verses with first foot syncopated I find 
3 in the ist act, 2 in the 2d, 1 in the 3d, 1 in 
the 4th, and one in the 5th, or only 8 in all. 

XVIII. Verses syncopated in the second 
foot. 

Full verse : 

Poor Cassio's smiles, || gestures and light be- 
haviour. IV, 1, 103. 

x I .£. \j n. II -i. \j \j—\j — \j t 

Catalectic verses : 

On horror's head || horror's accumulate. 
x J ^^i^||^w^_^_ HI, 3, 370. 

Of verses with second foot syncopated I 
find 3 in the ist act, 3 in the 2d, 10 in the 3d, 
3 in the 4th, and 3 in the 5th, 22 in all. 

XIX. Verses syncopated in the third foot. 

Full verse : 

My life upon her faith ! || Honest Iago. 
x l ^w_v^||^w_^. 1,3,295. 

Catalectic verse : 
'Tis not a year or two || shews us a man. 
x J ^w_^ll||^ww_. 111,4,103. 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 59 

Of verses with third foot syncopated I find 
5 in the ist act, 4 in the 2d, 8 in the 3d, 8 in 
the 4th, and 12 in the 5th, 37 in all. 

XX. Verses syncopated in the fourth foot. 
All such verses that I have found are cata- 

lectic. To syncopate the fourth foot and 
leave the fifth foot full would create the comi- 
cal limping verse ; and this Shakspere seems 
carefully to avoid. 

Patience awhile, good Cassio. Come, come ! 
^^w_w_v/||i^_ # V, 1, 87. 

Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill 
trump. Ill, 3, 351. 

X I -£.w_w_||^v_/lZ._ # 

Of verses with fourth foot syncopated I find 
3 in the ist act, 1 in the 2d, 1 in the 3d, 1 in 
the 4th, and 1 in the 5th, only 7 in all. 

XXI. Verses syncopated in two feet. 
Syncopated in 2d and 3d feet : 

The noise was here. Ha ! no more moving ? 

X I -W.\\u--t.v-v, V, 2, 93. 



60 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

Other examples that might seem to belong 
to this type may be better explained as broken 
verses, made of two independent staves, e. g. 
V, 2, 337. 

Of the syncopated types in general it may 
be said that syncope is more pleasing in the 
middle of verses and less pleasing at the 
beginning and end. Shakspere syncopates 
the third foot 38 times, the second foot 23 
times, the first foot 8 times, and the fourth foot 
only 7 times. 

XXII. Verses with dactyl in first foot pre- 
ceded by anacrusis. 

Full verse : 
My daughter is not for thee: |j and now in 
madness. I, 1, 98. 

X I -£• *-> ^J — <~> — 1 1 w -£■ v^ — v-* . 

Catalectic verse : 
I'd whistle her off, || and let her down the 
wind. Ill, 3, 262. 

X I -£. \J V-' — II \J ■*- *~> — \J—, 

Of this type I find 8 verses in the 1st act, 
3 in the 3d, 1 in the 4th, and 2 in the 5th, 14 
in all. 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 61 

XXIII. Verses without anacrusis, beginning 
with dactyl in first foot. Lines of this majestic 
rhythm form a large proportion of the verses 
of Othello, and, coming often in groups of two 
or three, give a special character to certain 
grand passages. 

Full verses : 
Cassio, my lord ! || No, sure,. I cannot think it. 

HI, 3. 38. 
Catalectic verses : 
Poor and content is rich, || and rich enough. 

Ill, 3, 172. 

Of this type I find 39 verses in the 1st act, 
58 in the 2d, 65 in the 3d, 30 in the 4th, and 
47 in the 5th, 239 in all. 

XXIV. Verses with dactyl in second foot. 

Full verses : 
And, lo, the happiness ! || go and importune 
her. HI, 4> Io8 - 

X I .£. KJ — \J *-l II -£■ V-< — *-* — V-*. 

Catalectic verses : 
O Desdemona ! || away ! away ! away ! 
x I ^vy_w||w j-kj-\j-, IV, 2, 41. 



62 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

The type is varied by the omission of ana- 
crusis : 

Made demonstrable here in Cyprus to him. 
j-^,-^, w||^w_^_v^ 111,4,142. 

Of this type I find 14 verses in the 1st act, 
9 in the 2d, 28 in the 3d, 12 in the 4th, and 15 
in the 5th, 78 in all. 

XXV. Verses with dactyl in 3d foot. 

Full verse : 
I am hitherto your daughter : || but here's my 
husband. I, 3, 185. 

X j -£- >-» — ^ — W II vj ^-\J — \J^ 

Catalectic verse : 
Awake the snorting citizens || with the bell. 

I, 1, 90. 

X I ^u-y-uulliu-, 

As seen above, the dactyl in the third foot 
is often preceded by syncope in the second, e.g. 

On horror's head || horrors accumulate. 

Ill, 3, 370. 

Of this type I find 11 in the 1st act, 7 in 
the 2d, 22 in the 3d, 6 in the 4th, and 6 in the 
5th, 52 in all. 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 63 

XXVI. Verses with dactyl in fourth foot. 

Full verse : 
There's many a beast then || in a populous city. 
x | _^_w||i^/ ^ww_v^. IV, i, 64. 

Catalectic verse : 

Of being taken || by the insolent foe. 
x J j-^-^\\j-^-kj^>- w i t 2, 137. 

In many verses the dactyl of the fourth foot 
is preceded and balanced by the syncope of the 
third, e. g. 

Hark, how these instruments || summon to sup- 
per! IV, 2, 169. 

Of this type I find 3 in the 1st act, 6 in the 
2d, 9 in the 3d, 9 in the 4th, and 13 in the 5th, 
40 in all. 

XXVII. Verses with dactyl in fifth foot. 
The safe recognition of such verses is made 
difficult by questions of pronunciation. Some 
words, doubtless, standing thus at the end of 
a verse, although they seem to us trisyllabic, 
were in utterance dissyllables. These two 



64 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

verses at least, however, seem unmistakable 
examples of the type : 

But he, j| as loving his own pride and pur- 
poses. I, I, 12. 

X I illuiU-U-UiWU, 

I Do you perceive || in all this noble company. 

x I "*■ w _ ll^ "*" ^ —yJ *~ ^ ^ • I>3> J 79« 

XXVIII. Verses with dactyls both in first 
and in second foot. 

Full verses : 

And yet he hath given me || satisfying reasons. 
x | iuu-uuHiu-w-u, v, 1,9. 

Catalectic verses : 

Steeped me in poverty || to the very lips. 
x J -\j v-'-v^ «^|| ^ v^_^._, JY ( 2 , 50. 

Of this type I find 3 examples in the 1st 
act, 5 in the 3d, 3 in the 4th, and 2 in the 5th, 
13 in all. 

XXIX. Verses with dactyls both in the first 
foot and in the third. 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 65 

Full verse : 
This fortification, gentlemen, || shall we see it? 
x | ^^ v_y_^_^ w|| .£.^_^ # jjj j 2 , 5. 

Catalectic : 

Naked in bed, Iago, || and not mean harm ! 
^^w_^ ^w||^ j-v-. IV, 1, 5. 

Of this type I find two examples in the ist 
act, 1 in the 2d, 5 in the 3d, 3 in the 4th, and 
2 in the 5th, 13 in all. 

XXX. Verses with dactyls both in the first 
foot and in the fourth. 

Full verses : 
Blow me about in winds ! || roast me in sul- 
phur ! V, 2, 279. 

What is the reason || of this terrible summons? 
J-yJ w - w || ■*■ ^>-^> <-»-»»», 1,1,82. 

Catalectic verses : 
Here is my journey's end, || here is my butt. 
j.^, w_wui||^^^_ V, 2, 267. 

Of this type I find 2 examples in the ist 
act, 1 in the 2d, and 4 in the 5th, 7 in all. 



66 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

XXXI. Verse with dactyls both in the first 
foot and in the fifth. 

(I do attach thee) 
For an abaser of the world, || a practiser. 

iuu-w-y-i I ijiuu f I 27 8. 

Of this type I have not found another 
example in the Othello. 

XXXII. Verses with dactyls both in the 
second foot and in the third. The full form 
of this type does not occur in the Othello. 

Catalectic verses : 
Or feed on nourishing dishes, || or keep you 
warm. Ill, 3, 78. 

y I .z.\_/_ww_w||w-£->-'— m 

Of hair-breadth scapes || i' the imminent deadly 
breach. I, 3, 136. 

Two other examples occur (I, 1, 53 and I, 
3, 49), four in all. 

XXXIII. Verse with dactyls both in the 
second foot and in the fourth. 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 67 



Full verse : 
Set on thy wife to observe : leave me, Iago. 

X | *V_VV I a||.CVv/_w. 111,3,240. 

Of this type I have not found another 
example. 

XXXIV. Verses with dactyls both in the 
third foot and in the fourth. The full form of 
this type does not occur in the Othello. 

Catalectic verses : 
I had thought to have yerked him here || under 
the ribs. II, i, I5 . 

Two other examples occur (III, 3, 360 and 
III, 4, 80), three in all. 

XXXV. Verses with three (3) dactyls. 

Given to captivity || me and my utmost hopes. 
^w^_ww||^.v^_w_ IV, 2, 51. 

This magnificent verse, standing alone in 
the Othello, seems to mark Shakspere's 
farthest range in the use of dactylic move- 
ments. 



68 CONSTRUCTION AND TYPES 

In the Othello, therefore, to sum up and 
tabulate the results as to Shakspere's use of 
the various types of perfect verse that he 
employed : 

Verses, full or catalectic, with masculine 
caesura after 2d accent occur 495 times. 

Verses, full or catalectic, with masculine 
caesura after' 3d accent occur 438 times. 

Verses, full or catalectic, with feminine caes- 
ura after 2d trochee occur 358 times. 

Verses, with dactyl in 1st foot, without ana- 
crusis occur 239 times. 

Verses, full and catalectic, with feminine 
caesura after 3d trochee occur 23S times. 

Verses dactylic in 2d foot occur 78 times. 

Verses, full or catalectic, with feminine caes- 
ura after 1st trochee occur 62 times. 

Verses dactylic in 3d foot occur 52 times. 

Verses dactylic in 4th foot occur 40 times. 

Verses syncopated in 3d foot occur 37 times. 

Verses, full or catalectic, with masculine 
caesura after 1st accent occur 28 times. 

Verses, full or catalectic, with masculine 
caesura after 4th accent occur 24 times. 



OF SHAKSPERE'S VERSE. 69 

Verses syncopated in 2d foot occur 22 times. 

Verses dactylic in 1st foot, but preceded by 
anacrusis, occur 14 times. 

Verses dactylic in 1st and 2d feet occur 13 
times. 

Verses dactylic in 1st and 3d feet occur 13 
times. 

Verses syncopated in 1st foot occur 8 times. 

Verses syncopated in 4th foot occur 7 times. 

Verses dactylic in 1st and 4th feet occur 7 
times. 

Verses dactylic in 2d and 3d feet occur 4 
times. 

Verses dactylic in 3d and 4th feet occur 3 
times. 

Verses entirely trochaic occur 3 times. 

Verses dactylic in 5th foot occur twice. 

Verse syncopated in 2 feet (2d and 3d) 
occurs once. 

Verse dactylic in 1st and 5th feet occurs 
once. 

Verse dactylic in 2d and 4th feet occurs 
once. 

Verse dactylic in 1st, 2d, and 3d feet occurs 
once. 



*' In brief, sir, study what you most affect." 

'raining of the Shrew, I. I. 

THE SHAKESPEARE SOCIETY 

OF NEW YORK. 

(Incorporated April 2oth, 1885.) 

'* To promote the knowledge and study of the works of Wil- 
liam Shakespeare, an, I of the Shakespeare,! n 
and Elizabethan Drama." 

Initiation, $10.00. Annual Dues, $5.00. 

Life Membership, $50.00. 

The Society assembles on the last Thursday in each 
month (except July, August, September and October) 
at Hamilton Hall, Columbia College, New York City. 

The Society is liberal and catholic, and welcomes 
members of all shades of opinion, who, without com- 
mitting themselves to any school, can heartily join its 
members in promoting the knowledge and study of 
the works of William Shakespeare and the Shakes- 
pearean and Elizabethan Drama. 

The Society proposes the reading of an original 
paper, monthly, with discussion thereof ; and to print 
such papers in pamphlet, to be furnished gratis to 
members not in arrears. 

The Library of Texts, and Works of Shakespearean 
History, Speculation, Criticism, etc., will be deposited 
in the University Library of Columbia College, and 
will be always open to members, or others upon the 
card of members, from 8 A. M. to 10 P. M. (Sundays 
excepted), subject, however, to the rules of the Uni- 
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Contributions consisting of additions to the Libra- 
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received. 

The Society will keep a bulletin list of the latest 
works in press or preparation, from which its library 
is to be augmented. Subjects for papers furnished 
on application to the President. 

Address all Letters of Inquiry and Remittances, 
JAMES E. REYNOLDS, Treas., 

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